Brave Heart, Brave Soul. She who is brave is free.

  “Your mistakes don’t define your character. It’s what you choose to do after you have made the mistake that makes all the difference.” ~ Dave Williamson If my life was a montage in a film, you’d probably be surprised by the bloopers reel. And when I say bloopers, I mean gigantic, enormous, colossal epic fails. My life is full of them. Quite regularly too. I’m an ordinary, everyday run of the mill, clumsy, muck it up, fish out of water. If there’s a way to mess it up, I’ll find it. Kinda like those Pinterest fails. Yep, that’s me. I start out with good intentions and suddenly the whole thing goes sideways before I know what’s happened.  So, let's get this out in the open right away. I’m about as flawed as they come. I don't have any superpowers. Well, that is unless you’re counting my ability to put my foot in my mouth or trip over my own feet. Then I have some rather amazing, dynamic and extremely high-powered capabilities.  Not that my whole life is amuck, all the time...

    I’ve been grappling with what’s around the corner lately. In fact, I’ve been thinking a lot about this subject. Pondering where I’ve been and where I’m going. What I could have done differently. What I can change. Some days I have a pretty good idea. Others I have no clue. But what I do know is this: I've lived a full, imperfect life. I’ve been bold, loved fiercely and unconditionally. I’ve definitely made hundreds of beautiful memories along with a good number of painful ones too.      Yes, I’ve made mistakes. Lots of them. Horrible and excruciating ones. I’ve fallen flat on my face. Landed on my butt. Are there moments I’d like to do over? Of course, certainly there are. But I have no regrets. Everything in my life has happened for a reason. Every step has led me to where I am. Every slip-up and blunder has been a teacher.      I have faults. Many of them. I’m lacking in more ways than one. I’ve been completely in the wrong and to...

  Life is strange. That’s for sure. It’s both beautiful and terrible at the same time. Some days make sense while others are completely mystifying. One day you’re on top of the world and the next you’re buried under 10 feet of rubble. No explanation. No clarification. And absolutely no resolution or solutions in sight. Just dust and debris. Who could have imagined this mess, right?  Or the destruction it brought.  But here you are. Covered in debris. Stuck and pinned down in a heap of ash. If you move one way or the other, bricks fall. If you stay still the whole building collapses. Bottom line is you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Either way loss is inevitable.   Life. It’s complicated.  And loss, well, it’s agonizing.   The problem is once you’re under the rubble, it’s hard to dig your way out. Doesn’t matter how you got there. You’re there. Everything you loved crumbled to the ground. Anger, rage, resentment, and hurt each one flo...

                        Sometimes we put up roadblocks, shutting down all the easy roads to us. I know I've been there a time or two myself. It’s easier to close ourselves off than deal with the noise and commotion around us. It’s not that we’re ignoring the havoc or don’t see the chaos. We simply need silence. I know when life hands me lemons I need to slow down and be still. But mostly I just need time to figure it all out. So, the barriers go up. I steal myself away until I’m ready to make lemonade.  Truthfully, it takes time to get yourself right. To sort it all out and accept where you are. That’s the key though really. Accept then act. None of us should force things. It only leads to more upheaval. Nothing happens overnight. And the art of making a great pitcher of sweet lemony goodness starts out with a bunch of sour lemons.   Hurt and pain don’t just wash away. Happiness just doesn’t show up and...

  Two thousand twenty-two proved to be a tough year for me. I'm sure that can be said for a lot of folks really. Life happens, right? But on the flip side that’s not to say it wasn’t a good year. Or amazing for that matter. Because it was. One of the best truthfully.  We traveled, experienced life outside our box, reconnected with old friends, made long needed improvements to our home, faced our demons and created some pretty amazing memories. So, how was it a hard- pressed, taxing year? Well, life can and is a constant contradiction. Am I right? I mean life is basically a balancing act between Ying and Yang. And for me 2022 was both fantastic and formidable.    Life is like that though. One day we’re on top of the world and the next we’re barely hanging on. From finances to health life can throw a party or a punch. One year you’re healthy, the next your body is failing. Yesterday you were sitting pretty, and today you’re on an operating table with a knife literally ...

    “No one tells you the hardest part of being a parent is when your kids grow up.” ~Unknown    Most of my adult life I’ve been a mom. In fact, for over 2 decades my whole identity has been and was wrapped up in one word. Mom. I knew no other name, job or calling. I was a mom, through and through. So, what happens when your children leave the nest? Or worse, become estranged.  How do you cope? There’s no map to navigate. And believe me, the host and array of emotions it brings is life altering. When you’re facing the sudden loss of your child, how do you keep your head above water or stop yourself from drowning in the deep end?     Truthfully, I have no idea. I wish I did. If the nest is emptied naturally, it’s bittersweet. If not, it’s devastating. As parents you wait your whole life for your children to spread their wings. You love, nurture and praise them. Build them up. Pray for them. Provide, sacrifice, and yes, you fail them just as many ti...

  “Grief is a nasty game of feeling the weakest you have ever felt and morphing into the strongest person you will need to become.” ~ Windgate Lane    Grief. One word with a powerful punch. It knocks us down. Lays us flat out on the ground. Then turns around and does it all over again. The thing about grief is it’s not something we ever see coming. Grief is a living, breathing being. She just shows up one day and makes herself at home. Most of us think grief only comes with death. But that’s just not the case.  She visits every day. The difference is some days we simply ignore her sitting at the table. And the other days she boldly walks through the front door expecting a glass of tea sweetened with our tears.     Personally, I’ve found grief to be bittersweet. She’s complicated. A lot like we are. Grief is sadness, pain, fear, anger and joy all wrapped up in one package. Grief can make us feel weak, inadequate and fragile but that’s not her goal. Not ...

  “When you finally go back to your old house, you’ll find it isn’t the old house you miss, but the love that filled it.” ~ Unknown    This house is my home. It’s small. But I’ve never needed more than I have. She’s a good house. Filled with love and warm, cozy memories. Like many homes her age, she’s a bit weathered. She’s seen more than a few tragedies. Mopping the floors with her tears, this house has in turn filled each nook and cranny with hope. Sure, this house is slightly discolored, her paint’s chipped around the edges and if you look closely, you’ll see where she’s peeling. She’s patched up here and there, and she’s missing a tile or two somewhere I’d imagine. But while she’s a bit tattered, her foundation is still strong, and steady. She’s really quite marvelous in the morning, so quiet and still. I love how the sun shines through her windows, filling every room with warm, soft beams of light. And oh, what a sight she is when the sun goes down. Even aged and mel...

“The best things in life are the people you love, the places you’ve seen together, and the memories you’ve made along the way.” ~ Unknown I have an incredible life. I can’t deny it. I’m blessed. Now that’s not to say I haven't had to fight for my happiness or overcome sadness and difficulties. Believe me, I have over and over again. In spite of all the ups, downs or moments life’s gone sideways, I still count my blessings every day. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times. I’ve been raised on Jesus and sweet tea. Truth is so have my boys. The world outside our door may be falling apart, but the life we share inside these walls keeps us together. Our glue has and will always be family, Jesus and a cold glass of sweet iced tea on a hot, humid, Texas summer afternoon. The honest to goodness truth is life has been anything but effortless and trouble free. Our family description would more than likely read a little something like this in a church directory. Complic...